CHICAGO (WLS) — Illinois on Friday reported 7,709 new COVID cases and 7 deaths, with 9 Chicago-area counties at “moderate” risk of spread, according to the CDC.
As of Friday, there have been a total of at least 3,169,315 COVID cases, including at least 33,660 deaths in the state since the outbreak began.
As of Thursday night, 808 patients with COVID-19 were reportedly hospitalized in Illinois. Of these, 66 patients were in intensive care and 24 patients were ventilated with COVID-19.
As of Thursday, a total of 22,018,536 vaccine doses had been administered in Illinois and 64.76% of the state’s population was fully vaccinated. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 14,163.
Ahead of the hectic weekend of Mother’s Day celebrations, authorities are urging people to wear masks and avoid gatherings altogether if you have any symptoms.
Chicago and several suburban counties are now at a “intermediate” community level, with the CDC defining more than 200 new cases per 100,000 residents over the past seven days.
“Unfortunately, there’s a misconception that we got out of this thing, so I think people aren’t as vigilant as they used to be,” said Dr. Susan Bleestale, Director of UI Health Prevention.
Chicago city officials now strongly recommend wearing masks in indoor public spaces, including CTA and CPS schools.
“Everyone should wear a mask,” said Dr. Emily Landon, Director of Infection Prevention at Yusikako Medicine. “An event you don’t want to get tired of. If you have a holiday that you don’t want to miss because you’re at home with goiter, you should always wear a mask.”
For the time being, this is still a recommendation and not a requirement. But if hospitalization continues, that could be on the horizon.
For many planning to reunite with their families, Mother’s Day is moving to nowhere before the weekend. Doctors warn that rapid tests won’t diagnose goiter if your symptoms are mild.
“You have to be very careful,” Pleistale said. “If you’re going to your mom, if there’s someone who’s vulnerable if you want to see them, you can choose to wear a mask the entire time you’re walking together.”
He said Chicagoans must ensure they and everyone on their social network are up to date with the Covid-19 vaccine and boosters, test for potential COVID-19 symptoms and continue to comply with all isolation and isolation requirements.
As of today (5/6/22), Chicago’s COVID social status is “moderate” for CDC. For this reason, we now strongly recommend wearing a mask in public indoor spaces.
do your part # Defend Chicago. Make sure you’re up to date on the vaccine: https://t.co/CaEaU8sAu7. pic.twitter.com/lWytPaEksk
-CDPH | Chicago Department of Health (hiChiPublicHealth) 6. May 2022
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However, CDPH Commissioner Alison Arvadi said Chicago’s move to the “intermediate” tier does not mean reintroducing a face-to-face mask order, restrictions on public gatherings, or vaccination requirements. Arwady said if the city moves to a “higher” social status, the CDPH will view those actions as “we’re nowhere near Chicago now.”
“We obviously don’t want to go there. Acting with a little more caution now will help keep the Chicago government under control,” Arvadi said.
He added that the move to the “intermediate” tier was no cause for warning.
“We expect to find middle ground for some time,” CDPH Commissioner Alison Arvadi said. “This is not a cause for concern as now most cases are mild and fortunately our COVID-19 is hospitalized and Chicago deaths are close to infection all the time. Remember that humans can spread the bay days ago. As such, wearing a mask in indoor public spaces is the easiest way to protect our city while we were in a mid-bay position.
Cook, Lake, McHenry, Kane, DuPage, Will, Decolp, Kendall and Winnipeg districts have a “moderate” level of risk for the government. According to CDC.
“You know, groups from 0 to 19 in particular are reporting the most cases every day,” Chris Hoff told the DuPage County Department of Health. “But we’re seeing an increase across the community for every age group.”
The Cook County government’s weekly case rate is 259.31 infections per 100,000 residents.
The Lake County government’s weekly case rate is 331.64 infections per 100,000 residents.
McHenry County’s weekly COVID case rate is 254.41 infections per 100,000 population.
Kane County has 248.68 infections per 100,000 residents per week.
DuPage County has a weekly state case rate of 365.69 infections per 100,000 residents.
The government’s weekly case rate in Will County is 239.6 infections per 100,000 residents.
The weekly COVID case rate in DeKalb County is 275.51 infections per 100,000 population.
The government’s weekly case rate in Kendall County is 251.96 infections per 100,000 residents.
The weekly COVID case rate in Winnebago County is 218.35 infections per 100,000 population.
The video in the player above is from a previous report.
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